From the President Once again it's been a busy second quarter of the year with big events like the Roland Bryant Cup taking centre stage. It was a great effort for by all those involved and special mention must be made of the Touch Rugby team who beat CSU for the first time ever! On behalf of the SUDA I would like to thank all of the team captains for their hard work organising competitive line-ups. I would specifically like to mention Eujen Pillay, of BDent4 fame, as without him the event would not have happened at all! With the new RBC Constitution all signed off and receiving Prof. Bryant's seal of approval, we will hopefully see USYD triumph in Orange next year! Thankyou again top our major sponsor ADA NSW for their continued support of the event.
make sure that you use the sign up sheets so that we as a student body can show that we're using the facilities. Dentistry is a tough course and the pressure can build up on you sometimes. Remember to take some time for yourself and get plenty of good nights of sleep in the lead up so that you can be fresh of mind when the exam days come. They'll be over in a flash! I hope everybody has an enjoyable holiday following exams and that you're all ready to go for the busy list of SUDA events in Semester 2! Cheers, Charlie Thompson
With exams looming I would like to wish everybody all the best with their preparation. If you're using the library or the tutorial rooms at SDH to study, please
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This issue From the President ................................................................................................................................... 1 SUDA Dental Cruise report ................................................................................................................... 3 Roland Bryant Cup report ...................................................................................................................... 4 Alumni vs Students soccer report ....................................................................................................... 6 International Representative news ...................................................................................................... 8 MIRAGE update ....................................................................................................................................... 8 Through the Loupes: Recent Graduate profile ................................................................................. 11 Australian Dental Students Association (ADSA) news ............................................................... 17
Dentistry Cocktail Ball Saturday 27th of September, 2014 commencing at 7:00PM The Ivy Sunroom, Level 3, Ivy, 330 George Street
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SUDA Dental Cruise report March 22, 2014 DMD3 Social Representative 2014’s Dentistry Boat Cruise was another huge hit! With over 160 students dressed in their best 90’s attire, the boat was bumping all night long. Luckily there were no men overboard, and after three and half hours of drinking, dancing, and general tomfoolery I think it’s safe to say that everyone had a pretty great time. For those bold enough to continue the party into Cargo Bar, the good times continued well into the early morning hours. Sunday morning was a bit rough, but definitely worth it. Thanks again to Captain Tony and all his crew for helping the event run as smoothly as possible. We hope that everyone had a great time and we look forward to another good one next year. Until then, study hard and stay safe kids!
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Roland Bryant Cup report May 3, 2014 , DMD2 Sports Representative On May 3rd Charles Sturt University dental students made the trip into Sydney for a day of sporting competition against University of Sydney dental students in the Roland Bryant Cup. This is the 5th consecutive year that the event has been held between these schools, bringing the students together for some healthy competition and socializing after the matches. The day consists of 5 events, men’s basketball, women’s netball, men’s and women’s soccer and mixed touch.
of the second quarter started with USYD trailing CSU, there was plenty of defensive plays from the boys, with a few blocked shots and steals. The second half started poorly as our shots weren’t connecting and a few turnovers didn’t help either, with the quarter coming to an end with CSU further in the lead. The start of the final quarter started with a scoring burst from USYD aided by a few steals from the guards, however CSU, with their strong athletic abilities, proved to be too much for USYD as they closed the game with a 16 point lead.
The first game was men’s basketball, and the whole team was excited to play at home, especially in front of their peers. This year’s team consisted of veterans and rookies, which provided fresh legs and new skills to the team. First quarter “tip off” was won by USYD. The beginning
Next it was the women’s turn to take to the courts for netball. Despite the scoreboard, the women’s netball game provided some fun and giggles for us Sydney girls. Off the back of a few training sessions compared to the CSU girls, who definitely know how each other play, we tried our best. Clare Cheung was a notable standout for playing a full game at goalkeeper, capitalizing on any rebounds we were given. Ultimately, the CSU girls demonstrated strong, confident passing, tight defence and almost flawless shooting, a win well deserved .4.
Touch football was the third sport of the day and coming into it 2 games down the touch team was determined for the first win of the day. The touch team was in form and the game started with an explosive diving try from Nick Stratas, shortly followed by Lyle Worrell breaking through the CSU defensive line and giving an offload to Diana Bruncke for 2 points. CSU replied to the 3-0 thrashing, taking advantage of a mismatch on the outside and scoring on the wing. Usyd finished the first half with the fancy footwork of Johnny Harrison scoring to end the half 4-1. Going into second half CSU responded with the CSU captain making a break and offloading to score 2 points. Both Usyd and CSU scored back to back concluding the game 5-4 to Usyd. The women's soccer was set to be an exciting match, if we won this we still had a chance to take out the cup! We had a strong side and we were doing pretty great until defender Sandra Werdi took a massive hit to the face while protecting goals and came out with a nose bleed and pretty bruised up. Striker Priyanka Ponna scored a terrific goal early in the match with a beautiful curve ball just sliding in to the net at the last moment. Kara Everingham did a fantastic job as goalie saving many shots on goal. Ultimately CSU got the better of us with the final score 2-1, but as a team we played really well and it was a pretty close game. Well done to all the girls who played, especially those who played soccer for the first time - that's what RBC is all about! The men's soccer game was the final match of the day. The match was a very physical affair with both teams getting stuck in. The score was very close for the first half. While the price of admission entitled spectators to their entire seat, they only needed the edge. In the second half, CSU were much more clinical in front of goal resulting in a resounding 4-1 win for the visitors.
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Thank you to all of the organizers, team captains, players, spectators, and the ADA for making this event possible. See you all next year!
Alumni vs Students soccer report March 28, 2014 Secretary BDent4 Sports Representative Pizza was aplenty (40 of them!) and the soft drinks flowing. Spectators battled the rain to eat the free pizza and maybe watch a game called soccer or something‌ The night kicked off with a social curtain raiser between the junior and senior students of the faculty. The juniors were made up of BOH1, DMD1 and DMD2 students while the seniors comprised of BOH2, BOH3, DMD3 and BDent4 students. The juniors were cocky with their youthfulness, thinking they would easily walk over the clinic-fatigued seniors. What they hadn’t counted on however was the cat-like reflexes of Naheed Janmohamed in goals for the seniors who was an absolute fortress in goals. The juniors quickly realised that experience, albeit a year or two, was more valuable than having legs that run when you need them to. The seniors ended up taking out the extremely fun tie 5-1 to take the series from the inaugural game to 2-1 overall. Great effort guys. A huge thank you to the juniors for getting involved!
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Soon enough it was time for the main event. The alumni team, headed by former SUDA president Michael Rutledge were getting agitated, showing off their professionalism as taught by Dr Howe by warming up with carefully thought out drills in the corner during the curtain raiser. With soft drink and 2-3 pizzas already downed by the now “Fat Bennett”, he was pumped to take out the game, smiling from 16 to 26. After a quick introduction and a massive thank you to the now strong, well-fed and enthused crowd, it was time for the students to kick off after losing the coin toss. The game started with ultrasonic speed that was even hard to keep track of on Redgi Cayetano’s GoPro camera. The Alumni drew first blood by scoring two quick goals, however this brought life to the students who were able to pull the scores level. Both teams traded goals until the score was 5-5 and that was just the first half! The second half saw the introduction of the defensive rock for the students, also known as Michael Spiteri, who was sent in to man-mark the dangerous Mark “Fat” Bennett. Chances were hard to come by in the second half with the students restricted to long shots while Naheed once again proved how valuable he was in goal. A scoreless second half sent the game into extra time with a golden goal rule. As the game drew close to the end and penalties loomed, a source of inspiration came from DMD1 Josh Park as he broke away and hammered the ball straight into Alumni goalkeeper Tim “Dad” Whitworth. As luck would have it, the ball rebounded straight back to Josh’s fast feet who calmly slotted it in to win the game for the students. Much to the alumni’s disappointment, the students tied the overall series to 1-1. Despite losing, they were in good spirits for what was an impressive display of good quality football and sportsmanship. Everyone involved seemed to have had a great night, be it having a social run around, munching on the free pizza or just catching up with faces outside of the clinics. The night continued on where everyone shared moments from the games as well as gaining valuable advice on life after Uni. Thanks again for the alumni who competed, DASUS and SUDA who helped fund the food and drink and everyone else that turned up and made the night a huge success. Here’s to the next instalment!
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International Representative news , International Representative Canadian Board Exams Update Good news everyone! Your International rep Ryan Bigelow here. The NDEB of Canada has been convinced to change their charter so that all graduates of Australian universities are allowed to take the accreditation exam in November of their graduating year. This is a big victory and is a permanent change. All graduates are welcome to take the exam which gives life-long licence to practice in Canada. Third year students please note: the deadlines for arranging this exam are typically almost a year in advance. I would suggest that you organise a representative to contact me and start the process for 2015.
Japanese Exchange Students coming! Are you interested in Japanese culture? Why not come and meet the Japanese exchange students from our sister school the Osaka Dental University? Every year our school and ODU exchange students and this year they will be here from August 18 th to 22nd. We're looking for volunteers to take the students out in the evening or to help show them around while they are here. If you're interested, please email ryan.bigelow@gmail.com. Students from all years are welcome, don't hesitate!
A Japanese Elective? Are you considering an elective placement in 3rd year? The Osaka Dental University accepts up to six students per year to come and visit their school in Osaka. For two weeks, you'll visit their campus next to beautiful Kyoto and see their hospital in down town Osaka. Experience the culture of Japan, and learn about where all those dental materials and instruments come from. Make contacts that will serve you in the years to come! Robyn Watson is in charge of the program this year, and can answer any questions.
MIRAGE update , Rural Representative 2014 is shaping up to be yet another exciting year for our faculty in many areas. One of these is our continuing dedication and commitment to rural dentistry. We plan to hold many events to raise awareness of the importance and benefits of increasing oral health in our
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rural and Indigenous communities, and to motivate some of our students into considering a career in a rural area. The first event will be our annual sports day to be held in conjunction with MIRAGE, the University of Sydney’s Rural Health Club. This event sees our junior years verse our seniors in touch football, soccer and ultimate Frisbee, followed by a BBQ. This is often the first time our first year students are introduced to our rural health club and helps get them involved with club and help us develop it further. The sports day will be held in June, so please look out for emails for further details. It always is a very fun day for all involved, and a great chance to get to know students of other years. One of our main aims for this year is to carry out a number of rural high school visits. The aim is to visit schools in rural NSW to educate the students about oral hygiene, the importance of oral health, and to motivate them to follow a career in the healthcare field. Students of all 4 years are encouraged to attend, as well as students from all 3 years of BOH. Oral health in rural communities can be quite poor and neglected, but through this initiative we aim to educate the children on how to look after their oral health. This will be a very worthwhile and rewarding experience, and provide the opportunity to see some remote areas of NSW. Wrapping up the year we will be holding our annual Rural Health Night, again in conjunction with MIRAGE where a dentist, a medical doctor and a nurse speak about their careers in rural health. Last year was a huge success, with more dental students turning up than any other discipline, including medicine! For those that attended, they had the pleasure of listening to a very entertaining and inspirational talk from Dr Peter Salameh, who discussed the dental work he did in Bourke, NSW with the Poche Centre for Indigenous Health. Dr Salameh showed some cases from his time in Bourke, and what it is that drives him to work in rural dentistry. This year we aim to have another dentist talk about their rural work, and hopefully we can have an even bigger turnout from the dentistry faculty! This will be another exciting year within the faculty, and I look forward to seeing more of you at rural dentistry events this year! All the best for your studies this year, Miles Somers, DMD 3
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THE DENTAL ALUMNI SOCIETY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY (DASUS) AND THE SYDNEY UNIVERSITY DENTISTRY ASSOCIATION (SUDA), PARTNERED WITH THE RECENT GRADUATES COMMITTEE OF THE AUSTRALIAN DENTAL ASSOCIATION NSW BRANCH,
Investec Specialist Bank is a provider of financial solutions specifically for medical and dental professionals. As a proud sponsor of the SUDA Women in Dentistry Cocktail Evening, Investec recognises the specific needs of women within the dental profession and is committed to supporting their financial future. We can provide dental professionals with fast track access to: - Credit cards - Equipment and fit-out finance - Home loans - Commercial property finance - Savings and deposit accounts - Motor vehicle finance - Transactional banking and overdrafts To find out more, please visit www.investec.com.au/medical or call one of our financial specialists on 1300 131 141.
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Through the Loupes: Recent Graduate profile
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Recent graduate: Grace Munns (BOH, 2013)
I love being able to exercise my own clinical judgement as a clinician. Tutors at uni provide an amazing support and they have shaped me into the developing clinician I am today but it is nice to be able to exercise my own judgement on certain clinical situations. It provides an even greater platform for learning and growth. I am very fortunate to be supported by very helpful mentors but being independent is also very rewarding. Also, I love being able to do what I love doing which is treating patients. I have always wanted to be able to help people by alleviating pain or increasing someone’s self esteem and confidence by improving aesthetics and bringing back their smile.... to be able to do this on an daily basis is just awesome!
I really miss the close network of friends I had at uni. Commuting the 4 hours to uni each day was less off a burden knowing that I would be surrounded by such an awesome bunch of people.
The thing that has struck me hardest about being a new grad and young Oral Health Therapist has been the amount of learning that goes on after you graduate. It has been a challenge to acknowledge how much uni can’t teach us or prepare us for what the real world is actually like. In the past 5 months of working my skills and knowledge have grown so
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much and my ability to adapt based solely on experience. Having to accept that the gold standard treatment at uni that gets drilled into us (pardon the pun) may not be possible and you need to improvise in order to provide the best quality care for patients was initially very difficult.
work in public health on the coast when I graduate and this is where I am. The public sector is ideal for new grads as it provides you with such a great mentorship and support network with incredible experience.
I am working 5 days a week, Monday to Friday from 8am until 4:30pm. Going from seeing around 3 patients a day to 10-12 takes a bit of getting used too but I wouldn’t have it any other way now. Not only does the day go fast but it is also very rewarding.
Throughout the three years of BOH I was actually commuting back and forwards from the Central Coast, yep that’s about 4 hours a day. So it wasn’t really a surprise that I would try to find work on the coast. Thankfully I was blessed to secure a position with Central Coast Local Health and I am now based at Wyong Hospital full time. I found this job online through job search engines with the help of a colleague and applied. The application and interviews for the position was actually before my final exams so my advice would be to get looking early, even if you don’t get the job its good practice.
Well, to be brutally honest it is not easy. Finding a job takes a significant amount of patience and persistence. In my experience I was lucky enough to secure one relatively quickly but others weren’t so lucky. A few tips I can suggest is when staff tell you to get your resume ready early in final year, do it, your resume is your potential employer’s first glimpse at you and if they don’t like what they see there and you have competition then they are more likely to get an interview. Sell yourself in your resume, it is no time to be modest about achievements and awards or even experience as this is what separates you from others. Also, keep your eyes open for positions all year round, some practices or employers are looking for employees for the future and not necessarily an immediate start. If you apply with your prospective start work
Currently I am in a hospital public dental clinic that has 11 chairs operating on a full day. This is in a regional area of the central coast which also accommodates for patients from semi rural parts of the region. This job is actually the ideal position of where I wanted to work as a new grad. I always said I would love to
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period they have ample time to prepare or consider. Furthermore, do a resume drop to various practices. Even if a practice does not have a position advertised they may be considering a new staff member or know of another colleague and may pass your resume to them.
to assist when things are difficult particularly in special needs and paediatrics but it is only through experience, improvising and perseverance that I’ve discovered some techniques to manage a few of those tricky patients. So pick your tutors brains as much as you can! There is a lot of stigma around Oral Health Therapists: unfortunately in the workforce there is currently a significant degree of stigma associated with our scope of practice with many arguments arising and conflicting opinions. This isn’t something that becomes truly apparent until you enter the workforce with some clinicians not understanding who we are and what we do. As Oral Health Therapists we have a huge role in the future of the dental profession. We are trained and highly skilled in not only our practical work but also in oral health promotion to patients of all ages. The burden of oral disease amongst Australians (particularly in the public sector) is massive and there is increasing need for prevention and promotion in all practices. We as Oral Health Therapists bridge that gap by providing this in the clinic through prevention and treatment but also by providing patients with the information they need to control their own oral health.
Realistic treatment of some teeth: in public health I see a significant amount of children some who are even under 5 years of ages with severe caries affecting almost every single one of their deciduous teeth and only one rotating paediatric dentist who visits the clinic once a month. Uni can only teach us what the ideally “best” treatment for each tooth would be but in reality these kids cannot tolerate long and numerous appointments to provide this care. The general anaesthetic waitlist is also over 12 months long so you are forced to nurse some teeth along over a long period of time in order to preserve them for as long as possible. GIC is wonderful stuff for kids. How to treat difficult patients solo: at uni when we had a difficult or non-compliant patient (adult or child) our tutors were always happy to help and would be by our side the whole time. When out of uni it’s not so easy. I quickly learnt that managing difficult patients is not a matter of knowledge but is purely something that comes with experience. I am lucky to have great mentors where I work who are able
Initially it was rather strange! Coming home from work to an empty desk with no study, assignments or deadlines was a weird feeling as its all id known for 3 years
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and not having to get your work checked by tutors whilst waiting to progress to the next stage of a restoration or treatment was strange also at first but after a few days it felt awesome! The major transition didn’t come until that first pay day...the moment you go from poor uni student to full time oral health therapist is a nice one.
tips and tricks that help in clinic. When thinking back I wish I had of consulted them more about their methods of performing procedures.
Putting it down to one favourite as impossible as there were so many who all helped in so many ways. Two who particularly stood out were Grace Wong and Dr Kimberly Coulton. Both are incredibly passionate and would always make time to discuss things with you without hesitation. Both Grace and Dr Coulton from day 1 provided nothing but the highest level of teaching, mentorship and practical assistance. They are a testament to the BOH program and it would not be the same without them.
I would love to further my career. Next year I am hoping to get into dentistry and then in the future I would love to specialise in either paediatrics or potentially even perio!
I would have loved to have lived on campus or closer to uni. Commuting everyday made it difficult to get involved in social activities.
I am one of those people who needs to study and I am a self-confessed nerd so I studied really hard. I strive to achieve the best I can in everything I do and the only way to do that was to put in the hours of study. Generally I would study on the train to and from uni (in between naps), and after the gym of an evening I would do another hour or so.
Definitely would have made sure I made better use of the oral biology and pathology material available for diagnosing and identifying lesions. There are many variations of normal out there and you see so many mouths with these it makes identifying high risk lesions more difficult. As we are one of the most likely people to pick up oral malignancies I would have loved to have had more experience in this area. The tutors are also a great source of information regarding
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personal trainer. I not only have a passion for dentistry but also for health and fitness. It took every ounce of perseverance, diligence and organisation to be able to balance my life during the three years of BOH. Time management and using every minute to its fullest became one of my biggest strengths. I would always have a weekly plan with what I had on that week and what I needed to achieve to stay on track. I can highly recommend working as a dental assistant at least once a week as not only did it provide an income but also a wealth of experience which really helped out in clinic. I also made sure to keep a healthy balance during the day and week of doing something that was relaxing or took my mind off uni. For me working out in the gym once a day provided me an avenue to vent frustration and just forget about uni and on the weekends I would try to get into the outdoors or down to the beach. In order to maintain such a hectic schedule that BOH demands you have to take time for yourself so you don’t burn out.
- get as much experience as you can particularly with therapy and take down as many notes as you can and keep them in a safe place. - Get as much experience as you can particularly with class II composites and anterior restorations, getting an ideal contact is rather difficult so make sure you do as many as you can at uni while you are under the guidance of a tutor. Working with kids you also see a fair amount of trauma so practice class IV composites as you are likely to see a fair few of them! - Make sure you are comfortable with diagnosing and recognising particularly caries, periodontal disease and things like calculus as after you graduate you have no one to double check in most cases and you want to be confident otherwise you might find yourself in a pickle. Also be confident in your radiographs, if you are struggling to take them make sure you get the help while at uni as these are critical to your treatment planning. - Lastly, interact and get connected with as many people as you can! There is no way you will make it through uni without the support of your peers and it’s also a great time to make connections for the future.
I’d love to think I would have been a professional athlete but realistically I would have to say a physiotherapist, exercise and sport physiologist or
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Recent graduate: Dilara Yashin (BDent, 2013) Autonomy and the ability to go with decisions that I feel comfortable making based on the training we just received. No more ‘lining’ checks Hanging out with friends and chatting over patients/our day after clinics. And lectures!
Looking young and patients asking how many years experience I have. Also the grey areas of when to treat, not having someone there to double check (like a tutor) has been challenging. But it has been good knowing and accepting my limitations; with some of the trickier treatments I refer to my boss or we do ‘joint’ consults as we have a few days in the week together. I haven’t yet performed a treatment that I regret or lose sleep over, but it’s still early days! To be near my family and partner, and because the opportunity presented itself after dental assisting for my boss for three years, after the associate dentist left. It was just lucky timing. Yes, I love the patients and have known the staff for years. I’ve always wanted to work in Sydney but it’s not as busy as it used to be…so it does have its down sides!
That it’s really hard to convince perio patients in private practice they have periodontal disease and they need to come back for multiple visits for cleans – they just think you’re trying to trick them or something. There’s a lot of undiagnosed periodontal disease and older grads aren’t perio charting as much as the recent grads. Probably also spacing out appointments for each patient in private practice because you can’t just do all the things you think the patient may need. Some patients want you to do it in one go because they have no time to come back, have a health fund or are financially well off. Whilst other patients need to space it out or don’t really care because it’s not painful yet. You really have to gauge what type of patient you have and manage their needs in order of importance/urgency – financial considerations are pretty important. There is also an
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initial guilt trip you feel charging patients for things you weren’t charging for at uni, but you get over that after a few weeks, when all your debts start catching up with you. Lastly, you may not have all the great equipment/instruments that you’ve trained with when you start working for someone else. But you get to play around with some nifty new materials in private. I am a firm believer in continuing education, and I enjoy breaking down my week with things other than clinical dentistry. I just joined the Australian Society of Endodontics and am continuing on with the research I was doing last year in ortho. Don’t be afraid to drive and drop off CV’s, it’s a good way to get your name out there. Also try and volunteer in some places as a dental assistant, if you’re not working already. A number of people in my year got lucky this way. Good luck
Australian Dental Students Association (ADSA) news , ADSA Liaison Officer Convention 2014 is fast approaching! 8th - 13th July. Make sure you get your tickets NOW at http://convention.adsa.org.au/product-category/convention to avoid missing out. All package varieties are now available. Single social night tickets have just been released and are available for all students/friends/partners/etc. Full package, non-accommodation, academic and weekend packages are still available. There is something for everyone, so don't miss out on the biggest and best dental event of the year!
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The Academic program includes: Hands-on workshops Breakout seminars customised to your year level and interests Some of Australia’s best lecturers Live debates centred on crucial issues affecting dental students and practitioners A full list of topics covered will be released soon. Social Nights Tue 8th: Meet & Greet Boat Cruise - Nerang River Wed 9th: Thrift Shop theme Pub Crawl Thur 10th: Dreamworld Fri 11th: Toys & Stories Party – East Nightclub Sat 12th: Casino Royale Gala Ball – Q1 Tower, Skypoint Observation Deck Any questions or queries, feel free to contact me on dkar2658@uni.sydney.edu.au See you at the Gold Coast! Darian Karunaikumar ADSA Liaison Officer
The next Facebow Issue will be out in early September! If you have any news, a fundraiser or an event that you would like your student colleagues to know about, please email Laura Raguine, SUDA Vice-Secretary: lrag3464@uni.sydney.edu.au
For more SUDA news and events, check out http://suda.org.au or ‘like’ our Facebook page www.facebook.com/USydSUDA
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